Lina Zeldovich is an award-winning journalist whose stories have appeared in Popular Science, Smithsonian, The New York Times, National Geographic and Reader’s Digest, among other publications. Her previous book, “The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste Into Wealth and Health,” has been optioned for a TV series. Her new book, “The Living Medicine: How a Lifesaving Cure Was Nearly Lost—and Why It Will Rescue Us When Antibiotics Fail,” was released from St. Martin’s Press in October 2024.
Lina Zeldovich
Freelance journalist and editor
From this contributor
Sniffing out the mysteries of olfaction
A background in physics, and his own curiosity, have helped Dmitry Rinberg tackle the complexities of the neuroscience of smell.
Now hiring: What autistic people need to succeed in the workplace
Autistic adults have more job opportunities than they used to, and a small neurodiverse workforce is thriving — but mainly at select companies that invest heavily in such employees.
Now hiring: What autistic people need to succeed in the workplace
By
Lina Zeldovich
4 March 2020 | 17 min read
How history forgot the woman who defined autism
Grunya Sukhareva characterized autism nearly two decades before Austrian doctors Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. So why did the latter get all the credit?
How history forgot the woman who defined autism
By
Lina Zeldovich
7 November 2018 | 13 min read
The evolution of ‘autism’ as a diagnosis, explained
From a form of childhood schizophrenia to a spectrum of conditions, the characterization of autism in diagnostic manuals has a complicated history.
The evolution of ‘autism’ as a diagnosis, explained
By
Lina Zeldovich
9 May 2018 | 7 min read
Why the definition of autism needs to be refined
Five years after its latest revision, the manual used to diagnose autism is back under scrutiny, as evidence suggests it excludes some people on the spectrum.
Why the definition of autism needs to be refined
By
Lina Zeldovich
9 May 2018 | 14 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Gene-activity map of developing brain reveals new clues about autism’s sex bias
Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.
Gene-activity map of developing brain reveals new clues about autism’s sex bias
Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
16 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Engrams in amygdala lean on astrocytes to solidify memories
Disrupting the astrocyte-neuronal dynamic in mice destabilizes their memory of fear conditioning.
Engrams in amygdala lean on astrocytes to solidify memories
Disrupting the astrocyte-neuronal dynamic in mice destabilizes their memory of fear conditioning.
By
Lauren Schneider
15 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
By
Jill Adams
14 October 2025 | 2 min read